Police in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh say they have killed four suspected Maoist guerrillas.

The police said the rebels, belonging to two groups, were killed in separate clashes in Warangal and West Godavari district early on Saturday.

The rebels have been fighting for the creation of a communist state for the last two decades.

Violence has escalated after the rebels withdrew from peace talks with the state government in January.

The police said the rebels belonging to the Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist Praja Pratighatna and Jana Shakti groups had been killed in clashes after some of their hideouts had been busted in the state capital, Hyderabad, recently.

Arms, money and explosives had been recovered from these hideouts, a police official said.

Intensified

The official said the rebels were extorting money from contractors and traders in the state, and had moved into hideouts taking advantage of talks with the government.

There was no immediate comment from the rebels on the incidents.

Violence in Andhra Pradesh has intensified since the peace process between Maoist rebels and the state government broke down in January.

The rebels have been fighting since 1980 for the creation of a communist state comprising tribal areas in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.